Sugar Sugar Rune: The Next Generation
by Simply Magestic
Summary: Queen Chocolat's shy daughter, Cerise, and Vanilla Mieux's bold daughter, Peppermint, are competing in the human world to determine the next queen. The quest for love is sweet, spontaneous, and whimsical. But what if an unexpected twist gets in their way? Will it turn the tide of the whole contest? "Love is a ruthless game...unless you play it good and right."
1. New Queen Candidates

**Ch 1**

"M-mom, I d-don't think I want to do the queen c-candidacy a-anymore. It's s-so s-scary!"

The Magic World's queen, Chocolat Meilleure, stared at her shy child, Cerise, in disbelief. "Don't say that, Cerise! You can't back out so suddenly. The Human World's not even that scary!" Cerise's gorgeous emerald green eyes were full of fear. She started to protest, "But-"

Then, King Pierre walked in the door. His blue eyes shone. "Please, Cerise. I know you can do it. Now turn that frown upside down!"

Queen Chocolat added, "Yeah! Keep the Meilleure spirit!" Slightly encouraged, Cerise looked up and smiled a little.

Meanwhile, in the legendary bakery, "Vanilla's best," a pretty lady with medium length, blonde curls and purple eyes, who was Vanilla Mieux herself, brought a slice of vanilla ice cream cake to her daughter, Peppermint Mieux, who, unlike Cerise, was enthusiastic about the Queen selection contest. "Only half an hour left till we go to la palais!" said an enthusiastic Peppermint. Vanilla smiled and said, "Yes, you'll do great! You have a bright personality like the great Chocolat-chan."

That night, both girls were called to the palace. Queen Chocolat stood up, clearing her throat.

"Peppermint Mieux!" The purple-eyed girl confidently said,"Yes!" The queen said "Cerise Meilleure!" and Cerise managed to stutter, "Y-yes!" Chocolat beamed. "You girls have been selected as queen candidates!"

A senator announced, "We bestow on you girls a wand and pendant. Whenever Her Majesty is ready, Queen Chocolat."

On Cerise's neck appeared a heart -shaped lime-green and magenta pendant; On Peppermint's appeared an opal one rimmed with black. Cerise gasped, "Lovely…kind of like Mama's." Peppermint said, "Cool! We finally get wands! Yay!" An embarrassed Vanilla Mieux in the audience slapped her palm to her face. But Queen Chocolat laughed softly. "Okay, here are your wands." A black, opal, purple, green, orange, red, and pink wand with a golden diamond swirled quickly out of the sky and landed into Peppermint's gloved hand. She shouted, "Yahoo!" A pink, magenta, yellow, lime green, dark green, sky blue and purple wand with a pink heart jewel sprung out of the ground and landed in Cerise's gloved hand. She squealed. Peppermint cheered.

The queen cleared her throat again. "Listen carefully, girls. Cerise, the top of your wand is white rhondite, which is flower fog, or 'fleur brouillard.' Above that is the sparkling jewel of Papardasha, or 'Brille Etoile.' And as for you, Peppermint, the top of the wand is milky sapphire, incantation for a autumn wind. Below that is a pearl for bubble blanket. Below that is a shard of celestite. Good luck. Any questions, girls?"

Cerise shyly said, "Can I really do this, Mama?" Queen Chocolat tucked a lock of orange hair behind her ear. "Of course you can, Cerise! Have faith in yourself. And you too, Peppermint! Now run along, girls. Happy journey!


	2. School Days

**Ch 2**

Queen Chocolat showed the girls to the Big Pot.

A worried Cerise started to say, "But it's so sca-AAAAH!" Peppermint pushed her off the cliff! The friends landed in the magma, Cerise crying and Peppermint shouting, "Yahoo! We-OH NO! WE'RE IN THE HUMAN SKY! WE'RE GONNA DIE! "Cerise nodded, still crying. Suddenly, the wind picked up-and the girls were blown inside a house! They landed on soft chairs. Cerise whispered, "Where are we?" Peppermint saw a tall purple-haired man with a guitar. "Who are you?" The man said, "I am ROCKIN' ROBIN, AN EPIC SUPERSTAR! YEAH!" He sat down on another seat. "This will be your house for the Queen Exam. Do you lovely ladies have heart catchers?" Peppermint said, "Yeah! Mine's an indigo and opal diamond." Cerise wiped her eyes and said, "Mine's a heart." Robin nodded."Very well; you know what hearts are, right?" Peppermint stood up."Yeah! When one has an emotion, a secret heart jewel pops up, and it is worth some ecure, but the black ones are bad." Robin nodded, and snapped a finger. "Settle down, girls." A glass of sparkling water filled itself for Robin, and two glasses of pineapple juice filled for the girls. They drank and then Robin said, "Time to sleep, girls. Go to your rooms. I got them cleaned with magic." The girls went to bed.

The next morning, Robin took the girls to Moegi Gakuen Private School. He walked into the office. "Hello, babies!" The lady teachers' hearts appeared. Orange, some pink, a few purple, and even one red."Robin-samaaa!" they chattered. Robin whispered, "Watch, girls. Extase Tentation! Give your hearts to me!" And they flew into his ring. A tall lady with brown hair and eyes went to us. "Hello. My name is Mitsuki Shiratori, and I will be their teacher. Their mothers, Kato-san and Ice-san, were my friends. I'll take them to class. I'll check their paperwork real quick." When she left, Robin said, "You girls are Peppermint Ice and Cerise Kato. Got it?"

In class, Shiratori-sensei said, "Kato-san, Ice-san, please introduce yourselves." Peppermint walked up to the front of class. "Hi everyone. I'm Peppermint Ice. Don't be mean to me or my friend! You want to make something of it?" That was her catchphrase, like Chocolat's was "whup your butt." The boys murmured, "She sure is cute, but she's so scary!" No hearts showed up. "Okay, Kato-san, please introduce yourself." Cerise shyly walked up to the front. There were tears in her eyes. Scared, she almost sobbed, "Hi, I transferred here." She looked down. "I'm Cerise Kato." The boys murmured, "She's really cute!" Many orange hearts showed up. Cerise did not take them. The teacher said, "Okay, Ice-san, Kato-san, please choose seats." They sat next to each other. Behind Peppermint was a trio of girls. Peppermint turned around. "Friends?" she whispered. They nodded and smiled, hearts green. Peppermint put her hands to her pendant. "Sugar sugar rune! Peppe rune!" Her opal and indigo witch uniform appeared on her. "Wand!" Her wand dropped from the sky, and she caught it. "Your hearts…are now mine!" The 1050 ecure from green hearts shot into her pendant, and she transformed into her school uniform again. The teacher said, "Okay, children. Let us continue with the lesson, shall we?"

At break, many boys crowded around Cerise. "Where do you live, Kato-san?" "What is your favorite candy, Cerise-chan? " And poor Peppermint sat unpopular among the boys, but had the human girl friends. One was named Taiji Suki. Her dad, Taiji Sugiyama, had went to the Moegi as a boy and liked to play soccer with Chocolat Kato! Vanilla Ice was a shy girl. The second girl was a beautiful blond. Her name was Jun Miyu. Her dad, Jun Mimura, had also gone to the Moegi. The third girl was quite sweet and shy, like Cerise and Vanilla. Her name was Shiratori Yanagi. Her mom, Shiratori Mitsuki-sensei, was the teacher!

"Anyway, Ice-san," said Shiratori Yanagi. "My mom said that your mom, Vanilla Ice-san, was super popular." Peppermint looked down grimly because she herself was unpopular, but looked back up happily. "I know, Yanagi. Just call me Peppermint!" Miyu said, "Peppermint, we like the punch-line!" Suki giggled, "You want to make something of it?" The girls made friends. Cerise grew very popular the whole day but took no hearts.

At home, Robin appeared with a poof of mist. Red, purple, pink, and orange hearts literally started to rain. "Mademoiselles, look at all the hearts I picked up at my Rockin' Robin Deluxe Edition Concert!" he boomed. Then, he snapped a finger, and an ecure scale appeared. "Now, I present…the results!" Peppermint was ahead in ecure! She cheered. Cerise smiled at her, happy for her friend's success.

That night, Peppermint and Cerise bathed and put on their pajamas. Cerise said, "No matter who wins…" Peppermint beamed. "We'll always be best friends!" And they went to bed happily.


	3. Familiars and disqualification?

The next day, Cerise and Peppermint got up and went to school on their mothers' old brooms. On the way, Cerise smiled and said, "I sort of want you to become Queen, Peppermint-chan. You have a great personality like Mama…I mean, Queen Chocolat." Peppermint blushed and giggled, "Thanks, Cerise! I would be happy for you if you won, too!"

At school, Peppermint remained unpopular with the boys. Cerise was still very popular for her shy, quiet personality. They did not collect any hearts until break, when Peppermint found a noisy green parrot under her desk! Commotion blanketed the entire class. Only Cerise was scared. Peppermint was fascinated. "Cool!" she shouted, smiling. The parrot flew around the room and landed in Cerise's hair. Scared, Cerise squealed. Some orange hearts popped up! Peppermint helped her untangle the bird from her hair. Cerise smiled slightly. "It's so cute!" she whispered, stroking its feathers. Some orange hearts in the room turned pink! Cerise looked apologetically at Peppermint and said, "I have no choice, Peppermint-chan." She put two hands to her magenta and lime pendant and said, "Sugar sugar rune! Ceri rune!" She twirled around. A magenta and lime cape appeared on her. On her blonde, shoulder-length hair appeared a witch's hat. On the magenta dress appeared a lime green belt with a heart on it. "Wand!" she said. A glowing wand shot out of the ground, and Cerise caught it. "Please pick up, hearts!" Five orange and three pink hearts flew into Cerise's heart pendant. Her school outfit appeared again. Cerise whispered happily, "I took them." Peppermint released the bird outside.

At lunch, Cerise bumped into a boy named Masumo Sato, and he spilled his curry on her. He got her some napkins and apologized, and his heart turned from the pee heart of surprise to the orange heart of infatuation.

At gym class, she tripped and fell while running her laps and cried. Two boys helped her get up, and they gave her two more orange hearts.

After school, all she did was smile sweetly when four boys started to talk to her, and they popped out orange hearts for her.

While the girls were flying home, Peppermint laughed, "Cerise, I never saw your beat in picking up hearts…well, after Robin!" Cerise smiled sweetly and said, "You're amazing, Peppermint-chan. I love your enthusiasm and spirit!"

At home, Cerise said, "We have arrived, Robin-sensei." No reply. Peppermint tossed her backpack on the couch and flopped on the space next to it. "Robin?" she hollered. No reply. "Guess he's at a concert," Peppermint shrugged.

Cerise sat on the couch next to her friend. "Peppermint-chan," she said. "We can gather familiars, right?" Peppermint said, "Let's do it! Sugar sugar rune! Peppe rune!" An opal hat covered her black hair streaked with blonde. An indigo and opal cape and dress with an indigo sash appeared on her. "Wand!" she shouted, catching her wand. Cerise said, "Sugar sugar rune, Ceri Rune!" Her witch outfit appeared. "Wand!" she said, catching the wand. "Our familiars, appear!" In a poof, a parrot and a guinea pig appeared!

The parrot flew on Peppermint's shoulder, and the guinea pig leapt on Cerise's. Cerise delightedly exclaimed, "Cute!" The guinea pig bowed, taking her cute little purple hat off. "How do you do, Cerise-chama? My name is Muffin-dechu. Nice to meet-chu! Oh, you mustn't bother yourself with hooligans like Peppermi-AAA!" Peppermint had blasted some bubbles with her magic wand at Muffin in anger for calling her a hooligan. Cerise said, "Please don't do that, Peppermint-chan!" Muffin just said, "Chu!" in disgust.

Peppermint examined the parrot. "Hey! You're the one I found under my desk!" she said. The parrot said, "That's right-squawk. Man, did I drag myself out of my nap to come here. Oh, and I'm Prince-squawk."

Cerise said, "Thanks for helping me get hearts, Prince!" He said, "Oh, no problem. But Peppermint's going to win, eh?" Muffin laughed, "Chuchuchuchuchu! Cerise-chama will surely become Queen-dechu! And what's with that awkward-or should I say squawkward-squawk?"

The girls couldn't help laughing at that one.

Prince squawked, "What's with that chu-chu? It sounds like a train."

Once again, the girls couldn't help laughing at that one.

"It does not-dechu!"

"It does too-squawk!"

"Well, you asked for it-dechu," said Muffin.

"Bring it on-squawk!" retorted Prince.

Cerise and Peppermint looked at each other. Peppermint smiled and said, "Now now now…who will win, little children?"

That totally made Muffin angry. She started screaming, "AAAH! I am NOT a little kid-dechu! I am a BIG LADY! You're the little-"Muffin continued to shake her little magenta-and-white umbrella and scream. Her brown-and-white fur stood on end. Everyone laughed.

In a big POOF! Robin appeared. Once again, tons of hearts fell from the sky. The girls were impressed. Robin flashed a smile and winked. "I see that you Mademoiselles have gathered familiars?" he said coolly. Cerise's eyes sparkled as she dreamily said, "They're so cute!" Peppermint laughed awkwardly and said, "I wouldn't call them 'cute,' but they…are…interesting, ahohohoho!" She scratched her head.

"Peppermint-chan," said Cerise. "We better run along for homework." The girls went to their rooms to do their homework. Cerise diligently did her work and checked it, but in her room, Peppermint just said, "Hmmm…I'm too lazy…oh yeah! Sugar sugar rune, Peppe rune!" The indigo and opal witch dress appeared, and Peppermint grabbed her wand with her gloved hand. Peppermint pointed the diamond tip at her homework papers. "Answers…appear!" The papers filled themselves out with the correct answers! "Amazing!" thought Peppermint as she packed all the homework assignments up. Cerise was still working, so in the meanwhile, Peppermint thought of ways to catch up with ecure to be at Cerise's level.

After she finished planning, Peppermint started rehearsing. "Plan one: appearance change!" she said. After curling the edges of her Uncle Saule's black hair with her mother's blonde streaks, she shouted, "Sugar sugar rune, Peppe rune!" she grabbed a wand. "Doll with the reactions of a human boy, appear!"

A male rag doll with a Moegi Gakuen uniform appeared. Peppermint looked it in the eye. "Like my hair?" she asked with a slightly creepy smile. The doll giggled uncertainly and hid behind her bed. Peppermint sighed. "Plan two: lose weight!" She looked down at herself. What would make her look slimmer…that was it! Longer socks! She magically lengthened the knee-length black socks she always wore to school. "Prince!" she called. "Get your feathery butt to my room!"

The parrot came. Peppermint tried on her Moegi uniform with the thigh-length socks. "How do I look, Prince?" she asked, smiling uncomfortably. "You look no slimmer," he said. Peppermint shook her fist. "Ya better not say that again! Ya wanna make somethin' of it?" He squawked loudly, "NO!" and flew out of the room.

"Plan three: Cry more-"Then, a voice in the kitchen called, "Peppermint-chan!"

Peppermint sped to the kitchen. Cerise had finished her homework and cooked rice and squash curry for dinner. For dessert, she had cooked a batch of delicious cinnamon cookies. "Looks great!" said Peppermint, helping herself to a plate of rice and curry. "DELICIOUS!" she exclaimed.

The girls and Robin finished eating. Cerise started to smile shyly and looked at Peppermint. "What is it, Cerise?" asked Peppermint. Cerise pulled a little box of Spice Dragons out of her pocket. Spice Dragons were Peppermint's favorite Magical world candy. They were soft and sweet, yet spicy, like cinnamon. When you put them in your mouth, they put your mouth on fake flames that were like cotton candy. Cerise put one in her mouth and offered the box to her friend. "Thanks, Cerise!" said Peppermint, stuffing a candy in her mouth. The girls chewed. "Yummy!" said Peppermint. Cerise's and Peppermint's mouths caught on fake flames! They laughed and lapped up the sweet flames.

"I bought them in the Magic World Mail Order Catalog," said Cerise, and she laughed as she licked a flame off her chin. Muffin tore the head off a Spice Dragon and put it in her mouth. After she licked the candy flames up, she shook her head. "Hmph! Poor Cerise-chama spent a whole 300 ecure or simple pleasures for that bratty Peppermint-dechu," she sniffed.

Peppermint was angry. "Sorry, Cerise!" she said. Cerise smiled and said, "It's only 300-" But Peppermint stormed off. "I must go on a journey of self-discovery!" she snapped as she stormed off to her room.

In her room, Peppermint said, "I wanna go to the Magic World!" Then she remembered. On her recent eleventh birthday, her mother had given her a children's spell book. Peppermint smiled. She pulled the book out of her bookshelf and leafed through the pages. She smiled. "Sugar sugar rune, Peppe rune! Moon door, open!" She flew through the moon door in the sky. Where she entered, there was a scary-looking, tall palace guard. He said gruffly, "Peppermint Mieux, I suppose. You are disqualified from the Queen Exam for coming to the Magic World without permission.

Peppermint froze still in alarm and terror. She was DISQUALIFIED?


	4. The Verdict

"WHAT?" thought Peppermint as the guard took her to La Palais for the word of judgment of her disqualification. The senators and everybody made room for her. Queen Chocolat stood up and said, "So, Peppermint, it appears that you may be disqualified. We have a backup candidate for that. Stand up, Honey Bonne." A girl with rosy cheeks, a long honey-colored side-braid and golden-brown eyes stood up. Her witch dress was yellow and black, like a honeybee's. "Yes, Queen Chocolat," she said.

Queen Chocolat looked at the senators. "Sirs, shall we disqualify Peppermint Mieux?" she inquired, sitting back on her throne. Two said yes, one no. "What about you, Queen Chocolat?" asked a senator. Peppermint's heart was beating fast. Sweat trickled down her red face, and she fidgeted with her opal and indigo pendant as she stared at the floor. "Peppermint!" said the Queen sharply. Peppermint (meeker than she usually was) looked up and gasped shakily, "Ye-yes?" Queen Chocolat said, "It would be fair to disqualify you, but at the same time, you must compete because your mother was a candidate, but there's Honey. Please, have a seat while we decide. Guards! Get her some refreshments, please." Honey Bonne was trying her best to not scream in fury. The guards marched Peppermint to a small room with a table, two chairs, and a sink. She uneasily gulped down her grape juice and pretzels as the Queen and senators decided.

After fifteen minutes, a guard came to her and said sternly, "Peppermint-san!" She looked up while gulping her last sip of juice. "Yes," she almost squawked. "The verdict is ready." Even more scared than ever, she ran to the palace and sat before the Queen, looking at the ground. "Peppermint," said the Queen, kindly, yet firmly. Peppermint looked up. "Y-yes, Queen Chocolat?" she said unsteadily. "Stand," said a senator. Peppermint dragged herself to her feet and bowed, waiting for the word of judgment. She looked up slowly. Queen Chocolat was smiling! She said to everyone, "Clear out." Everyone evacuated the Palace. "Come here, Peppermint," said the Queen, snapping a finger. A soft chair appeared in front of her. Peppermint sunk into the comfy chair. Queen Chocolat laughed and said, "Let me tell you a little story." Peppermint looked up intently. The verdict was still not given.

Queen Chocolat twisted a lock of orange hair around her finger. "When I was your age…eleven, right? Yeah. I was in the Queen Candidacy, too. Robin had told us the instructions of the contest, including not coming here without permission. I wasn't listening. Instead, I was exploring the luxurious rooftop home. You live there, right? I missed the instructions. I came here alone. I was supposed to be disqualified, like you. The reason I came is that the previous Queen Candy had sent a box of yummy bone candies to us. Your Mama's familiar, Blanca, said they were only for Vanilla and shouldn't be wasted on me. I got angry and came here. Then, I was to be disqualified. Just then, Vanilla-I mean, your Mama- came to the palace alone, too! She said it's her fault that Blanca blabbed. I was shocked and touched, and I said it's my fault and Vanilla shouldn't be a scapegoat. Then, Queen Candy let us go because we stood up for each other, and that is a good quality to be a queen. I was so relieved."

Peppermint told the story of the spice dragons and Muffin. The Queen said, "Were you listening when Robin told you the rules?" Peppermint admitted that she was looking at her mother's left-behind treasures in her room. The Queen laughed gently. "Okay, Peppermint. I'll let you go this time. But don't do it again, OK?" Peppermint smiled and stood up, bowing. "Thank you, Queen Chocolat! Bye!" And she left for Robin's rooftop home on her broom. She met Robin at the door. He was smiling coolly. "Oh?" he said. "You almost got disqualified, I hear. Queen Chocolat made the same mistake, eh?" Peppermint's face turned red in embarrassment and rage, and then turned pallid white, then normal. She said, "Uh…yeah, ahoho..." as she scuttled inside. Her witch dress returned to her normal clothes. Cerise was sitting in her magenta-and-white pajamas on the couch, her hair in two cute buns tied with lime green ribbon. She grinned. "Peppermint-chan!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her friend. Peppermint smiled and said, "I nearly got disqualified." Cerise said, "I prepared a bath for you." Peppermint thanked her friend and ran to the bath. She bathed quickly and threw on her favorite indigo-and-white pajamas.

Before the girls went to bed that night, Peppermint asked under the covers, "Cerise?" Cerise turned on her floral-patterned little lamp and hugged her frilly pink heart-shaped pillow. "Yes?" she replied. Peppermint said, you "If you were the queen, would disqualify a candidate who came to the magic world alone?" Cerise shook her hear. "No," she said. "I wouldn't be a princess if Mama got disqualified, so…yeah."

Peppermint got out of bed and walked to Robin's room. He opened the door and said, "Yeah, baby? You should be in bed by now." She asked him the same question as she asked Cerise. He nodded. "Yes, it means that they ignored me! How can you defy Robin, baby?" She shook her head and ran to her room. She pulled the mini portal-mirror out of her box of treasures. It was her tenth birthday present from her magic teacher. It was never used and had a beautiful wooden handle with pictures of flowers and nature engraved in it. She whispered, "Sugar sugar rune, Peppe Rune! Mama, talk to me!" Instantly, Vanilla Mieux's image appeared on the mirror. They smiled and talked a bit, and then the girl said, "Mama! If you were Queen, would you disqualify a candidate who came to the Magic World alone?'

She shook her head no. "My friend, the Queen, was and still is an explorative, curious, enthusiastic person, which is why she explored the home alone. That is a good Queen quality. Now, it is time for us all to sleep. Good-night, Peppermint!" and they hung up.

Peppermint went back to bed. She thought to herself, "This world is made by all sorts of people. Sweet and quiet like Mama...Brave and bright like Queen Chocolat...Sweet, shy like Cerise, rocking like Robin..." and she went to sleep.


	5. Tennis? Bring it on!

Peppermint and Cerise flew to school the next morning. That day, a lot of chatter and murmuring was in school. But some boys stopped and said, "Cerise-chan!" and crowded around her. She picked up two pink and four orange hearts. Peppermint said hello to her human friends. "What's with the murmur around the room?" she asked. Taiji Suki smiled. "Because-"

Then, the teacher walked in the door. She smiled. "Good morning, children! Let us go to the assembly!" The kids all lined up and walked to the auditorium. When everyone was settled, the principal quieted everyone down. Then, he walked up onto the stage and fixed the round glasses on his nose. He then boomed into the microphone, "Good morning, everybody. We have a very special assembly today. Please listen carefully. The head of the student council, Prince Obscur will speak now." The girls all cheered. Cerise and Peppermint looked, and all girls' hearts were pink and orange. Peppermint asked Cerise, "Who is this Obscur guy?" Cerise said, "Yesterday, Usagi-san told me that he is the school's very popular Prince." Then, a very tall, lean boy walked to the podium on stage. He took the microphone. The girls cheered. Obscur had very pale skin. His eyes were silvery-aqua and pierced Peppermint's heart. His hair was silvery-blond and hung in his eyes. Obscur was followed by five very beautiful, but smug and mean-looking middle-school girls. He cleared his throat and stepped behind the podium. He took hold of the microphone and said, "Hello, students of Moegi Gakuen School. I am Prince Obscur, to those who don't know me." The girls all cheered and clapped, except Peppermint and Cerise. Obscur said, "I am the captain of the basketball, tennis, and volleyball teams. Two months from now, there will be a national tennis competition. Whoever can beat me may participate. Any volunteers? Please come to the stage." A murmur spread through the girls. "No! I can't beat the Prince! Plus, those pretty members will crow over me all my life if I lose!" Peppermint mumbled, "So those girls are his members, eh?" Nobody volunteered.

Suddenly, Peppermint felt herself stand up. "I volunteer!" she said almost involuntarily. She didn't mean to! But it was too late now. All eyes were on her. Cerise gasped. Peppermint felt her cheeks grow hot. Her heart beat fast. She trudged to stage and gasped, "I…I volunteer." She had no idea about tennis.

Peppermint started to climb up the stage steps, but tripped! Her face was tomato red. "Gee, I-I-I-I'm s-so s-sorry!" she gasped, and some people in the audience snickered. She flashed them an angry look and blundered to her feet and walked onto the stage, holding her head high.

The Prince said, "Okay. You are quite a brave girl, I see." Peppermint blushed and flinched a bit. "I-it's no-nothing, rea-lly," she whispered. Then she looked. The hearts of the beautiful girls, the members, by Obscur were black! The hearts of some audience girls were black too!

Obscur said, "You have three days to prepare. On the last day, you shall play against me. After school. In the tennis court. Okay?" She nodded.

On the way home, Muffin climbed out of Cerise's shoulder. She laughed, "Only Peppermint would be so stupid to volunteer-dechu!" Prince shook his parrot head from his master's shoulder, saying, "I agree-squawk." Peppermint turned her head toward him angrily, her dark ponytail hitting her cheek. She snapped, "Quit it! Ya wanna make somethin' of it?!" He hid. "N-no!" he squawked.

When the girls reached home, Peppermint flopped on the couch. She curled a lock of her always ponytailed hair around her finger. "Ahhh, why did I volunteer? I have no clue about tennis!"She sighed. Cerise sat next to her. "Don't worry. I'm sure you can learn it." Peppermint said, "Well, at lunch, Yanagi told me that you hit a small ball back and forth with rackets. But I don't get that. Oh, I have a good idea!" She boomed, "Sugar sugar rune! Peppe rune!" Catching her wand, she said, "Tennis material, appear!" Two rackets and a ball appeared. A net sprung up outside. Peppermint said, "Okay, Cerise…go to the other side of the net." The girls started to hit the ball back and forth. They couldn't get it right, somehow.

The days passed. The girls practiced when they could. On the day of the match, after school, Peppermint was walking to the tennis court. She wiped her sweaty hands on her black outfit and saw Obscur sitting on the bench with his cool, cold character.

Peppermint fixed her ponytail and had a seat on the bench next to Obscur's. There were many people in the school in the audience. Then, a loud bell rang. A girl's voice boomed through the speakers. It said, "Ladies and gentlemen…the game between Prince Obscur and Ice-san will now begin!" The competitors stood up and went on the court. Obscur flashed her a cold smile that made her angry. Peppermint scowled for a second and wiped her sweaty hands on her opal-colored T-shirt. The same girl who announced the beginning of the match said, "Prince, Peppermint Ice-san, you may begin now. I will be the referee." Obscur tossed a ball in the air and hit it with his black racket. Peppermint refuted it, and they had a long rally. Then, Obscur happened to get a point because Peppermint hit the ball out!

The game continued that way many times. They had a long rally, and then Obscur got a point. At one time, though, Peppermint scored one! Then, Obscur got the game point, and he won. The referee girl said, "Prince Obscur wins 45-15!" Peppermint fell down and dropped her racket, tired. She was creamed. Obscur stood proudly and coolly and waved his hands at the audience. However, she saw some orange hearts from boys in the audience...they were for her! She tiredly said, "Sugar sugar rune. Peppe rune." On her seated self appeared the witch outfit, and she caught her wand. "Your hearts are now mine." Five hearts sped into her pendant.

A bit energized, Peppermint stood up and grinned. "I took them…yet I lost…oh well!" she said. Obscur had left. The audience began to clear out. Cerise ran to Peppermint, beaming. "You did great!" she cheered, quickly giving Peppermint's hand a quick squeeze. The girls chattered down the hallway and talked against the wall. Peppermint had to use the toilet and ran off to the bathroom. On the way down the hall, she ran into Obscur. He said, "You did well alone, Peppermint. Congratulations." His silvery eyes pierced Peppermint's heart, and his cold hands grabbed hers. It made her blood run cold. She blushed. Then, the members showed up behind him. One girl with very long, magenta-colored wavy hair that went down her waist said, "How could you, Prince!?" Another one with chocolate-colored eyes and blonde hair said, "Yes, it's almost as if he loves her!" Another one with beautiful long eyelashes said, "And he called her Peppermint!" Yet another member with dark brown hair and green eyes said, "However, Ice-san, we will not allow you to get in our way." Their hearts glowed black! Peppermint's face burned red from both rage and shame. She said, "Leave me alone! You girls are so mean!" and she yanked her hand out of Obscur's, running to the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, Peppermint leaned against the wall, forgetting she had to go potty. She glanced in the mirror. Her heart was glowing bright orange! She gasped and stared at her feet. "The heart is yours to take, but never let yours be taken." Her father Houx's words of wisdom rang in her ears. She tensed up, then started to chuckle. Her face took the color of a tomato. "No way do I have a crush on THAT freak!" she roared. Then, she became serious again. "Wait…it couldn't be…maybe…I have an unknown crush on him!?"

She chased the thought out of her head. "No, no, no, no! You can't have my heart! I'm gonna take yours first, Obscur, you just wait!"


	6. The Offer!

The next day, Cerise and Peppermint were going to school as usual. Swerving her broom, Peppermint said, "Cerise?" Cerise turned her head and nodded. "If…hypothetically, you had a crush on a, a… mysterious guy…what…would you do?" Peppermint said hesitantly. Tears started to form on Cerise's eyes. Clinging on her broom, she said, "I don't even like boys, they're so scary! Waaah!" Peppermint sighed, exasperated. "I knew I shouldn't have asked her," she muttered.

Before school began, Obscur walked straight to Peppermint. He shook her hand with his cold one and said, "I'd like to congratulate you for the great fight you put up yesterday, Peppermint Ice." All the girls gasped. They had black hearts! The girls in Peppermint's class ran off to class jealously. Suki said, "Great job, Peppermint. The Prince sure likes you." Jun Miyu said, "Ugh…good for you, Peppermint." Yanagi said, "Humph. Lucky girl." Cerise gasped and stood still, her heart not black. She ran after them, but it was too late. They had run off to class.

Peppermint was angry at Obscur for doing that, yet worried for the jealous girls. She angrily pulled her hand away, blushing slightly. Everybody watched in shock and awe. Obscur did not say anything, yet was cool. After what seemed like a long time, Peppermint snapped, "I do not know what you want from me. You're not pleasing me, but…just…you are just…creating resentment! Just…just…" In the Moegi Gakuen, everyone liked a good scene. They watched in awe. Obscur did not say anything, but looked just a tiny bit surprised, even a tiny bit amused. After a seemingly long time, Peppermint finished her sentence. She snapped, "Leave me alone!" With that, she stormed off to class.

In class, Peppermint's friends had forgotten the incident and were acting like their normal selves again. She sighed in relief. Also, Cerise tripped in the doorway and fell. She took another three orange hearts.

At break, Peppermint and Cerise ran to the playground with their human friends. Cerise simply sat on the platform and talked cheerily to the other girls as they played on the structure. As Peppermint was upside-down on the bar, she saw a beautiful but smug and angry face in front of her upside-down. It was the face of the magenta-haired member she had met yesterday! Shocked, Peppermint pulled her body to an upright position. "Whad'dya want now?" she scoffed, turning a flip off the bar and landing on the ground on her knees.

The magenta-haired girl said, "About this morning…" She stepped aside to reveal the angry face of the second member, a tall girl with brown hair and green eyes. She said, "You were quite rude to the Prince." A blonde one with chocolate eyes said, "And yesterday, too, Ice-san."

Another member behind her came out. Peppermint rolled her eyes. But as she looked into the face of this member, she gasped. This member was very pretty. On her shoes were delicate, cute little pink artificial roses. She had a beautiful pearl necklace with a golden star charm on it. Her smiling lips were shiny. Her cheeks were rosy. The girl's nose, Peppermint had to admit, was also pretty. Her eyes were like jade jewels. Her eyelashes were pretty and long and thick. Her hair was dark salmon pink and hung down her shoulders in soft curls. It had a cute pink bow on it. Peppermint looked at her in admiration. The girl turned to the other unkind members and said, "Girls, please let Ice-san be. Ice-san, it is fine. Please do not have hard feelings against these girls, they simply value respect." By now, all of Peppermint's and Cerise's friends were looking at the beautiful, kind girl. Cerise whispered, "Who is this girl?" Jun Miyu said, "She's so pretty!" The girl heard them. She smiled sweetly. "I am the lead member," she said softly. "Anyway, Ice-san, it was nice meeting you. Good-bye."

As she and the members turned to leave, Peppermint thought she heard the magenta-haired girl say, "You're far too kind, Hiroko." She just smiled and said nothing.

On the way back to class, Cerise tapped Peppermint's shoulder and said, "Don't you feel something…rather fishy…about Obscur?"

Peppermint stood still. "Yeah…he's somewhat cold and dark, eh?" Cerise nodded. In class, the day went on as usual. At one point, Mitsuki-sensei said, "Ice-san!" Peppermint lifted her head and said, "Yes!" The teacher pointed to a problem on the board. "What is the probability that…" Peppermint stared into space. She hated probabilities! The teacher had finished reading the problem. She said, "Ice-san…what is the answer?" Without thinking, Peppermint sprung out of her seat and yelled, "A billion!" Everyone laughed. Biting her lip, Mitsuki-sensei muttered, "Nothing like her mom, is she?" Cerise raised a hand quietly. Mitsuki-sensei smiled at her. "Yes, Kato-san? Do you know the answer?" Cerise quietly stood up and smiled. "Well…if you take…" Peppermint looked away, bored of probability mumbo jumbo. After she finished clarifying the problem, Cerise said, "The answer is five eighteenths, Sensei!" Mitsuki-sensei smiled and nodded. "Yes, Kato-san, that is correct." Then she made a face and muttered, "Not like her mom, either." Everybody laughed except for Cerise and Peppermint.

After school, Peppermint's friends ran up to her and laughed, "That was so funny today! A billion!" Cerise smiled and blushed a bit. "I got embarrassed, actually." Then, four boys ran up to Cerise. The first boy handed her a flower and said, "Cerise-sama!" The second boy handed her a card and said, "Not only are you really cute…" The third boy handed her a little peppermint candy and said, "You are smart!" The fourth boy handed her a piece of gum and said, "Kato-san, in honor of you, we shall start a Cerise Fan Club!" Their hearts shone bright orange!" Cerise said, "Thanks, boys! How thoughtful of you!" and took the hearts away. Peppermint stared at her in awe and mumbled, "So much for popularity."

Before the girls left, Peppermint realized she forgot her lunchbox in class. As she dashed through the hallways, she was blocked by the members! The magenta-haired girl said, "Ice-san, we have a special request to make of you." The one with blonde hair and chocolate eyes said, "We are not angry right now, we just want to talk." The third girl with brown hair and green eyes said, "You are quite the courageous girl, I see. We are quite impressed with your personality, Ice-san." The lead member, the beautiful Hiroko, smiled and said, "Peppermint, here is the invitation. The Prince himself wanted you to have it, and we all agreed to it." Peppermint took the envelope she was offering and mumbled, "Umm…thanks?" She grabbed her lunchbox and ran to Cerise, telling her about the invitation. Cerise's eyes widened. "Let's open it at home!"

At home, Peppermint carefully opened the pretty pale pink envelope with a fancy magenta ribbon on it. She gasped at the fanciness. Inside was a fancy, glossy off-white card with a picture of an old-fashioned quill pen on it. The note was written very neatly and beautifully. It read, "Dear Peppermint Ice-san: you have quite a memorable, bright personality. You have the qualities of a good leader. In fact, you were the first one I wanted to offer this to: Would you like to become a member? Signed, Noguchi Hiroko and the others." Peppermint gasped. She, a fifth-grader, was offered a membership?!


	7. Weird Vibes

Peppermint stared at the letter in shock. Her head spun. Of all people, a girl who had challenged and scorned the most respected and popular boy in the school, was offered a spot in the elite?! She frowned. "Cerise... should I?" Peppermint sharply turned her head to face her friend, her side ponytail whipping her cheek. Cerise looked like she was going to cry. Peppermint said, "What's wrong?" Cerise brightened up her expression quickly, but she still looked a bit troubled. "No-nothing!" she assured her friend.

"It's just that... do you really want to be part of a group of mean girls who have nothing better to do than to put others down?" Peppermint froze for a second, letting Cerise's reasoning sink into her head. She sighed. "Good point, Cerise. I guess it's not worth it." She tossed the letter onto the coffee table next to her. " I'm not going to be one of those mean brats... poor Hiroko can do much better! Ah well, I guess I have to finish my homework. Cerise, can you please teach me about independent and dependent probability?" She raced to her room, dragging her friend with her. Cerise was relieved. Muffin scowled. "Ah! Cerise-chama, how can you lower yourself to help a brat like Peppermint? It is simply unacceptable-chu!" Prince only smirked.

After a boring (at least for Peppermint, anyway) unit about pulling red and blue marbles out of a bag, Peppermint finished her homework. Robin burst through the door. "Ehh~ sexy ladies!" He sang. Peppermint and Cerise sweat-dropped, and Peppermint said, "Um...Robin... isn't Gangnam Style getting old now?" Robin gave her a facetious glare, and she yawned. They laughed.

After Cerise prepared a yummy dinner, the three of them had chocolate ice cream for dessert. After a while, they took a bath, and then it was lights-out for them.

The next morning, Peppermint changed into her school uniform and tied her hair in a messy bun and swept her bangs to one side, and it looked cool because she already had natural blonde highlights on her black hair. She was extra-energetic and wanted to try something different today. She ran to Cerise's room and knocked the door. "GOOOOD MORNING, Cerise!" Cerise's voice said, "Good morning! Come in, Peppermint-chan." Peppermint opened the door. Cerise was combing her slightly wavy blond hair in front of her mirror. She smiled at her friend. "So, when I'm done, shall we eat?" Peppermint nodded and grinned.

When Cerise was done getting ready, she quickly prepared pancakes while Peppermint set the table. Cerise saw a small note on the counter. It said,

_"Hey, my ladies! Today, I have to go to a music convention to get some lovely ladies' hearts! See you! Signed, Robin"_

Peppermint said, "Ah... is hearts the only things he thinks of?"

After the pancakes were done, the girls ate quickly and flew to school. When they landed on the school grounds, school had not yet begun. Everyone was still hanging out outside. Then, Hiroko approached Peppermint, smiling. She asked, "Peppermint, do you want to join the team of members?" The bell rang, and everyone went to class, with the exception of Peppermint and Hiroko. Cerise was secretly listening to the conversation, but the girls were unaware. Hiroko said, "Don't go to class just yet, Peppermint. I have to talk to you." Peppermint stared at her. She frankly and politely said, "No, thank you. I am not particularly interested in joining your group; thanks for asking, though." Distressed, Hiroko said, "Please! It's a good opportunity!" Peppermint said, "I'm sorry, but I am not interested at the moment." Hiroko angrily said, "How dare-"

Another voice cut in. "Hiroko?" Peppermint turned her head to see Obscur standing there, a hint of amusement on his face. Hiroko said, "Prince, I-" Obscur said, "Hold on, Hiroko. I need to talk to her. Don't force her." He cocked his head toward Peppermint. She turned around to face him. He bent over until their faces were merely half a foot apart. He said softly, "Peppermint, are you sure that you are not interested in having the opportunity to become a member?" Peppermint whispered, "N-no..." She noticed from the corner of her eye that her heart was orange. Cerise, who was watching from the corner, noticed that too. She was shocked. Hiroko's heart glowed black, and her face was a mixture of jealousy and disappointment. Obscur told her, "That's fine, Peppermint. I cannot force you. Thank you for accepting our invitation, though. Now, go to class, Peppermint, Hiroko. Homeroom has barely begun, so you're not that late." Then, eyeing Peppermint's messy bun, he whispered, "I like your hair like that, Peppermint." Hiroko gave Peppermint a dirty look as her black heart grew. Peppermint was concerned. What's a black heart?

Hiroko, with hear heart still black, raced to the middle school wing, and Peppermint ran to the elementary wing. When Obscur was out of sight, Cerise ran after her best friend. "Peppermint-chan!" she cried. Peppermint turned her head. "Cerise? Were you here this whole time?" Cerise nodded, tears in her eyes. "Peppermint-chan, I have bad vibes about Obscur. Please stay away from him. Please! Try not to fall in love with him. 'The heart is yours to take, but you must not let yours be taken.'" Peppermint said, "I...I..." The blush was now gone from her cheeks, and the orange heart had faded away. She clutched at her chest. "What a disgrace." Cerise said, "Peppermint-chan, it's not your fault. Pease be careful with him and the members after this. Come now, let's go to class, or we'll be late."

Peppermint whispered, "Obscur does have weird vibes..." The girls ran to class. Homeroom had ended. Mitsuki-sensei said, "Ah, Kato-san, Ice-san. I see you are late. Can you please have your guardian sign these and give them back to me tomorrow?" She handed the girls late slips. Cerise said, "Sorry, sensei." Peppermint said, "Um... yeah, sorry." She stuffed her slip into a random pouch of her backpack, while Cerise carefully filed it away.

After school that day, Obscur approached Peppermint. Cerise stayed close, concerned for her friend. Obscur held out his hand and said, "Good day, Peppermint." After Peppermint refused to take it, he told Cerise, "I have to talk to Peppermint in private for a second, madame. Is that acceptable?" Blushing because of Obscur's politeness, Cerise said, "Y-yes." She flashed her friend a look of helpless pity. She mouthed, "Take care." She hid behind a tree, filled with worry and fear. All the hearts of all the girls around, except for Peppermint and Cerise, were black. And they were all gigantic. Peppermint was writhing with concerned curiosity about black hearts. She couldn't take it anymore. Putting her hands to her diamond pendant, she shouted, "That's it!"

A sparkling ring appeared around her, as her indigo and cyan witch uniform appeared on her. Catching her wand, she energetically shouted, "Sugar sugar rune! Peppe rune!" But by the time her transformation was over, Obscur was gone. Cerise jumped out of her hiding place. "Peppermint-chan-" Peppermint cut her off. "I know that black hearts are bad! Even though I've never heard of one, I have bad vibes about them! Transform, now!" Cerise nodded. "Sugar sugar rune!" She twirled around, hands on her pendant. "Ceri rune!" Her full magenta and lime green witch outfit appeared. "Wand!" They crossed their wands. "Sugar sugar rune!" they shouted in sync, trying to do whatever they could to stop the black hearts.

A lot of bright rainbow light poured out of their wands. Cerise topped it off with, "Brille etoile! Sparkling jewel of Papardasha, please shine and overcome the darkness!" Pink and white light poured out of the intersection of the crossed wands, and the black hearts were gone. Cerise and Peppermint smiled at each other, relieved. Robin came to pick the girls up later that day. Peppermint said, "Robin! What's a black heart?!" Robin said, "Noir is the heart of hate and jealousy. Never collect noir hearts, it can kill you."

It turns out that Obscur had been watching the whole thing from the private library upstairs. He turned around and told a group of hideous monsters, "These girls are getting in the way of the gathering of our precious noir." The monsters bowed and said, "Understood, Obscur-sama." Obscur narrowed his eyes and stared at the ground, his lips curling upward into an ominous grin. "However, we will not let them get in our way any longer."


	8. Obscur's Princess

**Hi everyone! Here is the next chapter for you. It is told from Obscur's POV. Read and review! enjoy~**

_Last chapter:_

_It turns out that Obscur had been watching the whole thing from the private library upstairs. He turned around and told a group of hideous monsters, "These girls are getting in the way of the gathering of our precious noir." The monsters bowed and said, "Understood, Obscur-sama." Obscur narrowed his eyes and stared at the ground, his lips curling upward into an ominous grin. "However, we will not let them get in our way any longer."_

Obscur's POV

I smirked maliciously as I watched those two powerless witches purify my precious noir. Ha, how great do they think they are? Noir is more powerful than any other heart. I need more of it. There is still a "cold war" going on between the Ogres and La Royaume. I am to become the Ogre King... if only I can find a suitable Ogre Princess to increase the amount of noir on Earth. I turned to face a group of Ogres behind me, then I heard a distant calling. "Rune, Sugar de Blanche!" A sweet yet troubled voice called. It sounded like Noguchi Hiroko's voice. I knew she was a witch from the start. And she was from La Royaume. But I understood the jealousy she felt. I knew she had an orange heart for me, but she was jealous because I showed affection for the Mieux queen candidate.

But that affection was false. I was just trying to kill two birds with one stone: Get a pink heart out of her, and make everyone else's heart black. I followed the voice and saw the Hiroko girl in a strapless knee length white dress with purple slippers and a purple mask, and a thick purple feather boa. Her hair was twisted into a high bun, and her face was heavily made up. Her lips curled upwards as she met my gaze. "Ah, Obscur... we're all wizards, aren't we?" Ugh. La Royaume dirt! But she seemed like the perfect little jealous girl I could use to become my queen. I grinned ominously. "Yes, aren't we all?" I showed her my noir heart. She moaned, "Ah, noir... so precious..."

"But I cannot take any because I'm La Royaume scum. Woe is me..." She walked up to me and whispered, "I love you, Prince Obscur. I really do. That's why I'm so jealous of that queen candidate." Her heart glowed red, her face full of agony. She whispered in my ear, "I've always wanted to be the Ogre Queen." I stared at the red heart on her chest, then at her miserable face. "Love is a poison... please, Prince Obscur..." I stared into her eyes. "We can arrange that." I closed my eyes and magically teleported us to my Ogre palace. I seated her at the end of my long silver table, and I sat at the other end. She gasped, "Prince- Oh! Prince Obscur! Where are we?" I said, "My palace." It was adorned with noir and cold black flames. "So, you wish to be my Ogre Queen?" I inquired. She nodded. I snapped my fingers, and my servant, Furtif, came in a jiffy.

"What is it, Obscur-sama?" he said. I gestured toward the girl in white and purple at the end of the table. "The Ogre's princess-to-be has finally come." She stood up and said, "My name is not Noguchi Hiroko. My name is Blanche. Blanche du Perle-Lune." Furtif told me, "To give her a noir heart, we must implant one in her." He left and came back with a white pillow with pearls on the corners. There was a large black heart on it. I picked the heart up, and said, "Thank you, Furtif. You may leave." He left in the blink of an eye. Blanche stared at the noir, her witch transformation being undone. I said, "Blanche, come." She slowly came out of her seat and walked to me. I put a hand on her waist, and her body tilted back. I instructed, "Breathe."

I let the noir sink into her chest. The scent of dead roses engulfed the air as I let her fall onto the floor, letting the power seep into her. Black rose petals and a cold wind swirled around her body. She was twisted to one side, her golden hair spread on the floor. I grinned. An Ogre Princess means more noir. More noir is empowered Ogres. Empowered Ogres will overcome La Royaume. The heart was done sinking into her. Her eyes opened sharply, and black waves came out of her heart. Her head tilted back and she growled, "Noir..." Using magic, I picked her up without touching her. I said, "Princess Blanche, you and I shall be a team to increase noir in the human world. Ah... humans, they are such feeble creatures."

Blanche closed her eyes and touched her purple headband with white rhinestones shaped like flowers. "Rune," she said in a powerful voice. "Sugar de Blanche!" A layer of black coated her body, and she shone in rainbow colors. She eventually broke out of her cover and said confidently, "Rune! Sugar de Blanche!" I looked at her brand new transformation. She was wearing a dark purple halterneck dress that reached her thighs. It had a large silver and black rose pinned to her chest. She had net tights and black Stiletto high heel knee-high boots. She was heavily made up with Goth makeup.

I faced Blanche. "What do you suppose we must do to get revenge against La Royaume?" I asked.

Her upper lip curled upwards. "We must declare war."

**Hey peeps! I know this chapter was short, but I'll make the next one longer. PLEASE leave a review! Criticism is fine too!** **Thanks for reading! **


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